Stroke News and Research

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A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

CWRU receives NHLBI grant to study sleep apnea as possible cause of AF

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $3.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to study sleep apnea as a possible cause of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most commonly diagnosed type of arrhythmia, or irregular heart rhythm.

22 Nov 2011

Merck agrees to pay $950 million in Vioxx safety probe

Merck & Co. will pay $950 million and one of its units will plead guilty to a criminal charge to resolve a U.S. probe of its illegal marketing of the painkiller Vioxx.

22 Nov 2011

Alzheimer’s disease progression and body weight may be linked: Study

There have been studies that show that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later than people at normal weight. However some studies also show that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI).

22 Nov 2011

Post-surgery death risk high among thinner people: Study

A new study has found that thinner people are at a higher risk of dying within 30 days of an operation than heavier people. The cause behind this trend is not clear.

22 Nov 2011

Study examines link between early-stage Alzheimer's and lower BMI

Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study examines this relationship between Alzheimer's disease and BMI.

22 Nov 2011

Study shows degeneration of corpus callosum in stroke patients with impaired hand movement

The structure of the corpus callosum, a thick band of nerve fibres that connects the two halves of the brain with each other and in this way enables the rapid exchange of information between the left and right hemispheres, plays an important role in the regaining of motor skills following a stroke. A study currently published in the journal Human Brain Mapping has shown that in stroke patients with particularly severely impaired hand movement, this communication channel between the two brain hemispheres in particular was badly damaged.

22 Nov 2011

Decanoic acid can modulate glucose control

A Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) study published recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry reveals that a natural fatty acid can serve as a regulator of blood sugar levels, which may have important applications in designing better and safer drugs for diabetes treatment.

22 Nov 2011

Hypertension on the rise in Canada

Hypertension in Canada is increasing, and it is projected that more than one-quarter of Canadian adults will be diagnosed with hypertension by 2012/13, according to a study in CMAJ.

22 Nov 2011

Scientists discover second faulty gene linked to ALS

Following a major Northwestern Medicine breakthrough that identified a common converging point for all forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and Lou Gehrig's disease), a new finding from the same scientists further broadens the understanding of why cells in the brain and spinal cord degenerate in the fatal disease.

21 Nov 2011

Drug abuse high in West Australian young men: Study

According to a drug expert almost one in 10 men under 30 years of age has regularly used stimulant drugs and West Australians are the worst offenders.

21 Nov 2011

ChanRx to evaluate AFIB drug, vanoxerine with closed Series A funding

ChanRx is developing a superior drug for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AFIB), and has closed its Series A funding with investments from Sante Ventures and company founder, Dr. Arthur "Buzz" Brown. The company, a spin out of Cleveland-based ChanTest, will use the funding to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of its proprietary AFIB drug, vanoxerine.

21 Nov 2011

American high school students earn top honors for liver disease and brain injury research

The shortlist of contenders for the highest science honor awarded to American high school students narrowed tonight as the winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology Region 3 Finals were announced.

21 Nov 2011

Victory for seniors: Calif. Adult Day Health Care center lawsuit resolved

Senior advocates had sued the state because of Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to shut down the ADHC program to save money.

19 Nov 2011

FDA approves EYLEA for treatment of wet Age-related Macular Degeneration

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection, known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye, for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) at a recommended dose of 2 milligrams every four weeks for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2 mg every eight weeks.

19 Nov 2011

FDA Commissioner revokes approval of Genentech's Avastin for treatment of mBC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the FDA Commissioner is revoking the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of mBC in the United States.

18 Nov 2011

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia opens Center for Acute Respiratory Failure

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center has officially opened the Center for Acute Respiratory Failure, which offers, among other services, expertise in using lung bypass technology to help adult patients whose lungs are rapidly shutting down.

18 Nov 2011

NYU Langone cardiovascular experts present new research findings at AHA 2011

Experts from the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center presented new research findings at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2011 held November 12-16, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

18 Nov 2011

AHA honors Gladstone scientist with Katz award for cardiovascular research

Li Qian, PhD, has won the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize for Young Investigators from the American Heart Association (AHA), marking the first time in the prestigious award's history that a Gladstone Institutes researcher has been the recipient.

18 Nov 2011

Two RegeneRx cardiac-related patents receive notice of allowance in Australia, Mexico

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the Company has been notified that two cardiac-related patents will be allowed in Australia and Mexico.

18 Nov 2011

Hemoglobin levels, blood pressure and male gender linked to higher risk of silent strokes in SCA children

Factors such as low hemoglobin levels, increased systolic blood pressure, and male gender are linked to a higher risk of silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs), or silent strokes, in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), according to results from a large, first-of-its-kind study published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

17 Nov 2011